Inheritance: A My Hero Academia AU

Eijiro Kirishima

 I opened my bedroom window and climbed down the trellis, like I'd done countless times before. After I made sure no one was looking, I walked around the house and over to the Bakugos' mansion.

I knocked on the door and heard Bakguo hollering something at his servants. Surprisingly, he was the one that answered the door.

"Kirishima?" he asked, his eyes softening.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," I said, my voice shaking a little bit. A lump of emotion had risen in my throat, and I swallowed it. I had to be strong.

"What're you waiting for?" Bakugo asked, opening the door wider. Though he tried to mask it with a scowl, I could see the worry on his face. "Come inside already."

I stumbled through the door, and Bakugo shut it behind me.

"Is this a public sort of thing or a more private thing?" Bakugo asked me.

"Private," I said.

Bakugo nodded once. "All of you, listen up! No one goes out onto the verandah, or even comes near it, until I give the all clear. Is that understood?!"
Surprisingly, all of his servants seemed unfazed by his yelling.

"Yes, sir," the housekeeper said. She waved towards the other servants, and they all scurried towards the kitchen.

"C'mon," Bakugo said gruffly, leading the way towards the verandah.

When we walked outside, Bakugo sat down in one of the chairs, but I stayed standing and started to pace frantically.

"Can you please stop pacing?" Bakugo said. "It's annoying."

"Sorry," I said. I stopped pacing and started fidgeting with my fingers.

"This must be a pretty big thing if it's got you on edge," Bakguo said, crossing one leg over the other.

"It is pretty big," I said. I took a deep breath. "It's my parents."

"What about them? Did they die?"

"No, they didn't die," I said. "They told me...they told me that I have to get married."

There was a moment of silence as I waited for Bakugo's reaction.

"So?" he asked.

"So if I don't get married soon, then my parents will disown me!" I exclaimed. "I'll lose my fortune and my future, but most importantly my parent's respect, and I can't do that! I can't."

There was a flash of sadness in Bakugo's red brown eyes, but it disappeared all too quickly.

"What should I do?" I asked him.

"What makes you think I know?" Bakguo snapped. "Sounds like this is a decision that you need to make on your own."

"But that's the problem!" I yelled. "I've tried to think through it, and I just...can't. It's an impossible decision, Bakugo."

Bakugo seemed to be deep in thought. "You're really torn up about this, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, Bakugo!" I was starting to get a little frustrated. This wasn't helping at all. "What if...what if we just went away and left it all behind. We could go to Fiji. Or...or somewhere in Europe, somewhere really secluded when we can be together and-"

"No."

"We don't have to go to one of those places," I said. "We could get a cabin in the woods in Canada, or go down to South America...the possibilities are practically endless."

"Kirishima, I mean no, we shouldn't run away together," Bakugo said. "It's not that I don't want to, it's that it would tear both of our families apart. You don't want that, do you?"

"If it means I can be with you, I'm willing to risk anything."

"You're not being rational."

"I'm being more rational than I've ever been," I said. "I should have thought of this a long time ago."

"No, Kirishima," Bakugo said. "You're afraid. You don't want to run away with me. You want to run away from this decision because it's hard, and that scares you."

I pulled back, surprised and hurt. Also because I knew what he was saying was true.

"Kirishima," Bakugo said, standing up so that we were facing each other, and we were only inches apart. "I can't make this decision for you, but I can make it easier."

"Easier how?"

Bakugo touched his hand to my cheek, and pain was etched so deeply across his face that it made me want to cry. I leaned into his touch.

"I'm taking myself out of the equation," Bakugo said quietly.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I love you Kirishima, and I mean that as much now as I did on that beach," Bakugo said. "I don't like seeing you in pain. And this impossible decision is causing you a terrible, terrible amount of pain. I'm doing this because if one of the options is out of play, then this decision won't be as hard, and you won't be hurting as much anymore."

"Bakugo," I said, pulling back from him. "You're just making it worse."

"I know it feels like it now, but you'll thank me in the future," Bakugo said with sad eyes. "I know you will."

"No!" I yelled. "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Bakugo yelled back. "And that's the reason why I have to do this! I'm sorry, Kirishima. I don't want to. I really, really don't want to. But it's my turn to help you."

"Bakugo..."

He pressed his lips to mine, and I leaned into the kiss. He broke it way too soon.

"That was probably cruel. But I couldn't help myself," Bakugo said. "Um...you can leave whenever you're ready."

And with that, he walked back into the house. I wanted to go after him, to say something else, but my legs wouldn't move, and no words would come out of my mouth.

Somehow, I managed to hold back the tears until I made it back up the trellis and into my bedroom.